Pregnancy Perks: Kindness at the Post Office

The most amazing thing happened to me today. I had to mail some baby shower thank you notes overseas. Unsure what the postage would be, I went to the Post Office. With only two service windows open, there were about 25 unhappy-looking people waiting in line. After 5 minutes of waiting, the woman behind me struck up a conversation by asking when was I due, do I know the baby's gender, is this my first - you know, the same questions every visibly pregnant woman is asked several times a day. Then she asked the most unexpected thing: "Would you like to go to the head of the line?" Read more...I sheepishly replied, "Gosh, no, I'm OK" to which she said, "Don't be silly! You're pregnant. You shouldn't have to wait in this hot and sticky waiting room." She then raised her voice and asked everyone else if I could go ahead of them. Everyone looked at me, smiled and nodded encouragement. Unsure what to do, I froze until I felt her pushing me ahead.

I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and the enthusiastic response of everyone else in line that I choked up a little. After I was done at the counter, I turned around and thanked everyone profusely. I haven't stopped smiling since.

People react to a pregnant woman in public in very different ways and I can honestly say this was the nicest thing a stranger had done for me since I became noticeably pregnant.

Tell me: What's the nicest thing a stranger has done for you?

Eco-friendly Baby Products

The little one isn't here yet but I've already realized that having a baby means I'm going to have to kiss my super-low Carbon Footprint goodbye. Diapers alone (cloth or disposable) seem to impact the environment as harshly as a big S.U.V. with a leaky exhaust and a broken tailpipe.

Hopefully not all is lost. I'm trying to make the best decisions for baby and environment by choosing eco-friendly products whenever I can but it's a bit overwhelming. My husband teased me for buying Organic onesies (even I'm unsure what makes them "Organic"), a friend told me that one of my favorite snack foods, Organic raisins, is actually worse than non-Organic (which I can neither confirm or disprove), and the non-toxic household cleansers I purchased don't seem to be doing their job. Sigh.

Help a new mom out! I want to make the best possible choices and I don't want to get discouraged. What eco-friendly, Organic, non-toxic products have you tried and loved? Anything out there I should avoid?

FDA Warns Mothers About Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream

This is scary: The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to nursing mothers not to use or purchase Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream, marketed by MOM Enterprises Inc. of San Rafael, California. The product label says there's no need to remove the cream before nursing, but it contains ingredients that may cause respiratory distress, vomiting and diarrhea in infants. Yikes! Read more...

The potentially harmful ingredients in the cream are chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol. From the FDA release:

Chlorphenesin relaxes skeletal muscle and can depress the central nervous system and cause respiratory depression (slow or shallow breathing) in infants. Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications. It also can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants.

Thankfully the FDA said it has not received any reports of injury to infants and MOM Enterprises had the good sense to stop selling the cream.

Baby Mama Sparked My False Labor

They say the last few weeks are the hardest and I couldn't agree more. Not only am I anxious about the delivery, I'm also going a little stir-crazy from staying at home so much. In an effort to boost my spirits (and get me out of the house), my dear husband treated me to dinner and a movie Friday night. No surprise: I was in the mood for a girlie movie and picked Baby Mama. On our way to the theater I joked that if my water broke during the movie, we might have to name our little one after Tina Fey or Amy Poehler (which would prove difficult considering I'm having a boy!).
Read more...


As the movie began, I started to feel stronger and stronger menstrual-like cramps. Similar to the Braxton Hicks contractions I've been feeling off and on for the last month, these were much more urgent and painful. This was it: Labor had begun.

I knew we had lots of time until we would need to go to the hospital so I quietly thanked my baby for finally deciding it was time to join us on the outside, sat back, and enjoyed the movie. After the credits rolled, we excitedly returned home, packed our bags for the hospital, and settled in for the night. As the contractions increased in strength (a few of them were strong enough to take my breathe away), I emailed my Mom and closest friends saying that we would likely be heading to the hospital early in the morning and that they might want to plan on doing the same.

The next morning I woke up to... nothing. No water broke, no contractions contracted, nothing. During the night all of labor-like effects had subsided, and here I sit days later, and still nothing. Other than being a little embarrassed by my Chicken Little-like pronouncements that the big day had arrived, experiencing False or Pre-labor was not the worst thing in the world. At least now I know what to expect and I finally got around to packing my hospital bag!

Free Ice Cream on Bump Day!

Craving some soft serve? You're in luck. Baskin Robbins is treating all preggies to free ice cream today! If you're an expectant mom, print out this coupon and head on over to your local Baskin Robbins for a free three ounce Soft Serve cone.

Who: For expectant mothers.
What: Free 3 oz. cup or cone of Baskin Robbins' new Soft Serve.
When: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Where: Select Baskin-Robbins stores across the country.
How: Print this coupon.

* Offer available at select stores in California, Chicago, New York, Nashville, TN and El Paso, TX. Check to make sure your local 31 Flavors is participating.

Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go!

Baby, oh, baby,
the places you'll go!
The worlds you will visit!
The friends you will know!

Oh Baby, the Places You'll Go!: A Book to Be Read in Utero was given to me as a gift early on in my pregnancy (thank you, Katherine!) but it wasn't until last night that I finally read it. Artfully adapted almost entirely from Dr. Seuss' (Theodor Geisel) work, this book is a great gift for all expectant parents - and a decent introduction to the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss, a world I had almost entirely forgotten.

The story is sweet and the design is classic-Seuss. I really enjoyed reading it aloud and imagining my little one listening from inside. I'll confess I got a little misty as I read the closing lines to my swollen belly:

It's a scrumptulous world
and it's ready to greet you.
And as for myself... well...
I can't wait to meet you!

A Blog is Born :)

Welcome to Notes From the Nursery! This blog is written by Gwynn Cassidy, a soon-to-be new mom anxiously awaiting the arrival of her first child and excited to share her first-time fears and experiences with HealthyWomen.org readers like you!

We hope you enjoy this no-holds-barred look at the joys and challenges of Mommyhood.